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MAHWAH, N.J. – Mahwah’s police chief on Thursday urged residents to report what has become a rising number of middle-of-the-night robo-call hangups to federal authorities.

“There’s been a dramatic increase of complaints regarding robo calls throughout the state but also within Mahwah,” Police Chief James N. Batelli said.

These aren’t the same as those from con men trying to fool people into saving money on electric bills or low mortgages or believing that they needed to pay money to rescue a relative from trouble or avoid arrest by the IRS, he said.

The new trend of calls “are getting through the ‘Do Not Call’ list, which was established in 2003,” Batelli said, noting that such calls are “subject to strict restrictions” Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Some violators are “spoofing” residents through a program that displays a Mahwah exchange – “or in some cases a business name” on their caller ID, the chief said.

“In some instances the abandoned call is really a scam originating in another country to upcharge for an international call ,although there have been no reported types of these incidents in Mahwah,” he said.

Batelli encouraged phone customers to “be diligent and review their phone bills” but also to file an online complaint with the FCC at:
https://www.fcc.gov
.

You can also learn more about blocking robo calls by contacting your provider.

“While the Mahwah Police does not endorse or vouch for any private products or vendors," Batelli added, "there is also a service known as
nomorobo.com
, which will block robo calls on VOIP landlines for free and for a fee on cellphones."